The Curious Mystery

Started in 2005 by singers/multi-instrumentalists Shana Cleveland and Nicolas Gonzalez, the Curious Mystery present a very curious crossbreed of musical styles. Rooted in indie rock — with tinges of '60s psychedelia, Americana, bluegrass, film noir, and lo-fi — they were sometimes billed as a junkyard band in their earlier shows, due to a penchant for incorporating a random assortment of instruments in their sets. Along with hybrid instruments built by Gonzalaz (a gourd with steel rods sticking out of it, played with a bow, for one), it wasn't uncommon to see melodica, autoharp, banjo, and unpredictable household items like plastic tubes and baking utensils at a Curious Mystery show, alongside the traditional trio of guitar, drums, and bass. After recruiting bassist Bradford Button and drummer Faustine B. Hudson (also a connoisseur of off-kilter percussive items), the band was signed to K Records in 2008, and recorded its debut album with label head Calvin Johnson. After a scheduled release date for January, Rotting Slowly was pushed back and officially released in May of 2009. The band expanded on their sound and recruited K Records' own Karl Blau to produce the follow-up We Creeling, which was recorded in 2010 and released in the spring of 2011.